I admit that the marketing and the beautiful cover of this book caught my eye initially and then I was further drawn in by a book about a book shop. I was a little nervous about whether I would like it as my previous experience of a translated book had not been so great. However, I really loved this book.

The magical Cherry Blossom Bookshop only appears during the brief cherry blossom season, and to enter you need to be reading the same passage of a specific book at the same time as the mysterious owner Sakura, and Kobako the wise cat.
The story is told through a collection of short, interconnected stories, covering grief, dementia, promises made, secrets and lost family. The young owner of the shop Sakura provides some great insights into each book that gave the visitor access to the shop

Clearly written for book lovers, it had given me a few more books to add to my wish list. The book describes a warm cosy atmospheric book shop. It uses the stories to explore memories, find peace and help with healing. It’s a short easy read without overly complex plots and left me feeling like I had had a big hug at the end.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Collins for my copy in exchange for an honest review

At "The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop"....Sakura, the mysterious young owner, and her wise calico cat, Kobako, patiently await the arrival of souls in need of solace and healing.

This book really was a cozy and enchanting read, while also bringing forth themes of grief, resentment, love and loss, suppression of emotions, and unfulfilled promises and words left unspoken. I thought that the stories were beautifully written with attentive detail to the character as an individual and the emotions they experience.

As a Japanese American, I felt so closely connected to this book. I appreciated the artful repetition of the theme of the book and I identified so much with the struggles that these characters faced.

Aside from the actual story, I have to say, the social media marketing of this book was *chef's kiss* It's honestly what hooked me in! I am so so so glad that I read this and the cover art is so gorgeous, I'm definitely adding this to my physical collection.

Thank you so much for providing me a copy of this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this book! It gave me Before the Coffee Gets Cold vibes but cosier .. and bookish! I absolutely adored the premise of this book and visiting the characters through their separate stories and relevant literature to match. I love how we focused on each character and their life, building the connection that I already felt with the characters. I teared up a fair few times reading this book, the side stories were so so touching. And the round up with the final story leading us back to the meaning on the bookshop. I would absolutely love to connect and read more from this author! Thank you for this opportunity.

This was a beautiful story about the power of imagination and the power of books. This book focuses on the stories of different people who have questions they need answered, and the vanishing bookshop finds them and helps them heal a part of their life. They meet a girl and her calico cat who loves to be in loaf pose. The biggest questions of course are who are they, how did they get there, and how does this happen? I initially thought those questions would always remain unanswered but I was pleased that the author did tie up a lot of loose ends. Every story touched me in a different way. This was a book unlike anything I’ve read before and it was truly an excellent experience.

I love the healing fiction genre so it was natural for me to be excited about this book. I thought it might be a little formulaic at first, reminding me of The Chibineko Kitchen and Before the Coffee Gets Cold as there are many similarities, but as I read on, the stories are unique and interesting in their own way so it did not feel repetitive. I would highly recommend it for fans of the Japanese healing fiction genre and I can't wait to get my own copy seeing as the cover is so pretty. Thank you for this early galley.

Clever premise, nicely executed but felt too similar to other books in this genre. I really liked the cat and young girl in the shop.

This story was so detailed, but personally felt like too much detail. It took me so long to get invested into each story. And by the time I was invested it was time to move on. I don’t think this was poorly written. I think maybe I was just too rushed or impatient. I really liked the final chapter that explained how the Bookshop became a thing. It was a really nice touch and a great ending that wrapped everything up so well.

What a quiet, comforting read. This book found me at the right time. It’s the kind of story that doesn’t shout—it simply sits with you, softly reminding you that healing comes in small, beautiful ways.

The magical concept of a bookstore that only appears during cherry blossom season? I was hooked. But what truly made me stay were the stories of the people who walked in—each one carrying a burden, finding a book that spoke directly to their soul.

As a reader and a mom who finds peace in pages, this book felt like a warm hug. It made me reflect, breathe, and even smile through misty eyes. And can I just say... the calico cat? Adorable.

If you’re someone who loves slow, gentle reads with meaning—this is for you. Not fast-paced, but quietly powerful.

This novel gives a mix of the vibes of What You Are Looking For Is in the Library and The Rainfall Market.

The novel consists of stories from the lives of four characters: a manga artist named Mio, a retired train conductor who lives in an elderly care home called Shingo, twins with secrets named Shiho and Kaho, and finally, Kozue, the daughter of a famous author. Through the books that have special places in their lives and following an irresistible “meow”, these people are drawn to the front door of a magical bookshop that is located right under the most unusual weeping cherry blossom tree, with flowers blooming in all the shades between crimson and white.

Each of them has a burden to carry, an unfinished business, or something that weighs heavily on their shoulders or conscience. They are all in search of one thing: closure. This is what Sakura, the bookshop owner, and her cat Kobako offer to the customers they invite to their shop.

As someone who spent six years of her life living in Japan, I was able to completely immerse myself in all aspects of the book and all of its settings. Which is also why I can confidently say that this book is not just a magical realism novel. It is also an analysis of some of the biggest issues in Japanese society (such as estranged families, lonely deaths (tw), cancel culture, sibling rivalry, and what Japanese people call “tatemae”, which can be summarized as hiding their true feelings just to keep the peace in the environment they are in. The author did an amazing job shedding light on these issues while offering a warm, literary hug for the reader’s soul.

The final story provides the perfect connection that I felt was needed to tie everything together nicely, leaving me with a warm heart and great satisfaction.

Although some events and dialogues tend to be repetitive and fall flat at times, the overall flow of the story remains intact, making it a pleasant read for anyone seeking closure, a reminder of life's priorities, or simply a great magical realism novel.

I first saw this book cover featured in another Instagram video and knew i wanted to know more about the book.

Likes:
- this book was an easy read, putting me in a slow soft state of mind. I didnt have to worry about remembering anything or trying to keep up with complex plots. It just made me want to snuggle in deeper to my pillow and blanket
- the first and last stories connected, bringing to book full circle. I loved how simple and lovely that was

Dislikes:
- I'm not sure if I'm the right target for this book, as at times I felt too sleepy to even continue for "just one more chapter" At times I felt that it just didn't capture my full interest

Overall this book was just a cozy, comfy and uplifting story about the lives people live and the healing that can come to them when they need it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

"A book is a door to another, unknown world." After a half-year break from reading Japanese lit, I am so glad to have found this gem to read with the smell and sound of rain as my backdrop.

This book reminds me so much of the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series except that the setting is not quite a cafe but also not quite a bookstore.

The concept of magical realism is also heavier on this one that I sometimes found it hard to keep up with the timeline. Pro-tip: just go with the flow and don't overthink and the magic will do its wonders.

Indeed, fans of the slice of life and magical realism genre would love this work as it threshes discourse on loss and acceptance, grief and understanding, as well as promises and fulfillment.

That said, it is now one of my fervent wishes to be whisked into the ethereal vanishing cherry blossom bookshop.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

3.5 Stars.

This is an ARC review provided by One More Chapter and HarperCollins UK. My thoughts are my own and have not been influenced in anyway.

This started off as a perfect book for me. The writing was descriptive and charmingly whimsical. I loved the idea of a bookshop that only appears under a very specific set of circumstances and seems to be under the management and control of a grumpy cat and her owner. The stage was set so beautifully and everything felt super cosy right from the beginning.

The first two characters we follow were both very hard hitters on a personal level for me. The first story focuses on a woman whose mother passes away unexpectedly and she's now lamenting the missed opportunities as well as confronting the complex feelings she had towards her mother. As someone with an extremely complicated relationship with her mother who also suddenly passed away, you can imagine the emotional punch this had. The last scene in this section had me almost blubbering.

Story two focuses on an elderly man with dementia and both brutally and beautifully shows what it is like from the perspective of the family and the individual with dementia. Again, as someone who worked in a dementia care unit for 5 years, this one also hit me heavily and once scene in particular once again had me in tears.

Unfortunately, once we hit the third story which was also the halfway point of the book, I started to struggle. This story focuses on a set of twins on their last night before they separate for the first time ever to go university. Both sisters also have a secret they've held onto since the passing of their childhood friend and decide today is the day to tell each other. While their story was perfectly fine, it felt out of place- even the book itself addresses their story by saying that they didn't need to visit the bookshop, they would have resolved things on their own. That just confirmed to me it wasn't a necessary addition.

Finally, we reached the end story and I won't say much here because it does fall into spoilers, however I will say that the story at this point became overly repetitive and did something with the plot that turned it from a softly fantastical story into something that required far too much brain power and left far too many questions and not enough answers. It tipped over the line of whimsy into nonsensical and I struggled to enjoy the final pages until the very end where we had a lovely moment between two of the story characters and a lovely final message that I think all book lovers will appreciate.

Overall, there were some truly wonderful moments of this book and I was tearing up more than once, but the story became overcomplicated and along the way lost the message it was trying to convey (at least to me it did). I will still recommend you try it as I did enjoy each of the characters and loved that it basically serves as a love letter to literature. Plus, we have a gorgeous cherry tree and a sassy cat as a major character, and what's not to love about that?